


Bonded Beyond the Veil

by ByTheDawn



Series: Stolen Moments [33]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-15
Updated: 2014-06-15
Packaged: 2018-02-04 17:07:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1786669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ByTheDawn/pseuds/ByTheDawn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the <a href="http://swanqueenweek.tumblr.com/">Swan Queen Week + Summer 2014</a>. Day seven: Accidental Marriage.</p><p>After a near-death scare fighting the Snow Queen, Regina and Emma's parents decide that it's time Emma gets her magic back. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done, and the only possibility is following the musings left behind by Morgaine le Fay in old tomes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Remind me to never again write anything like this in one day, please? It's 4 AM XD I will go over this for any spelling errors I have missed in the morning. My apologies in advance, should you find any.

_"There are rumours of connections between mages so strong, that they enable either of the partners to tap into the other's magic. In these instances, the metaphysical streams that empower the mages mingle, like two rivers coming together underground. The energy weaves together before pouring forth with more power than the single mage could ever hope to produce on their own, breaking forth from behind the veil to wreak havoc. To my knowledge, these connections are rare; two mages powerful enough to weave together, to share a connection so strong that they pierce the veil like the boats that pass into my beloved Avalon. It happens once in a generation, if that, but when it happens, tremble, for those who are connected to such an extent do not only share magic, they share a mind, and often, a heart."_  


\-- Morgaine le Fay – ‘The Metaphysics of Magic’

 

"Okay, I get what you're saying, but why do I _have_ to get my magic back? I mean... you can do magic, Blue has fairy magic, Rumple has... whatever he has... We've been dealing just fine without me and my magic—we all survived Elsa, didn't we?" Emma pleaded, resting her head dejectedly on her arms as she draped herself over Regina's desk. She had planted herself on the mayoral chair once Regina had launched into a disposition about magic and restoring Emma's, trying desperately to keep up her interest level but failing once Regina had started talking about old tomes and potion recipes. She'd settled for nodding and humming at set times and hoped Regina would stop talking soon. She regretted picking up her phone when the brunette had called to ask her to come over an hour or so ago, but the older woman had sounded adamant and Emma had been sitting around in her underwear anyway, so she hadn't exactly had a reason not to go.

"We survived _the Snow Queen_ —not this 'Elsa'-character you keep talking about—because she took a liking to Ava and Nicholas, and Ava was smart enough to keep her wits about her and lie through her teeth about wanting to say goodbye to her family before she would leave with her, luring her out in the open. Meanwhile, you and David were doing your best icicle impression and I ended up the magical equivalent of a space heater while _your mother_ distracted the queen and Rumplestiltskin managed to imprison her in her urn again. That situation was a mess, and if you would have had your magic, I wouldn't have had to spend all my time defrosting the two of you before you would have died." Regina bit out at her, and Emma had the decency to winch at her words as her cheeks coloured pink. Regina was right, after all: both her and David had very nearly died, encased in ice by Elsa—the Snow Queen, whatever—after stumbling right into the clearing where she had been waiting with a petrified Nickolas for a defiant Ava. It had _not_ been pretty.

"Well, we didn't, did we? We were just fine, and Mary Margaret is _still_ glowing over saving the day." Emma tried sheepishly, lifting her head to look up at Regina as the older woman paced the width of her office, arms folded across her chest, and staring her down. Emma grinned, hoping to appease her. Really, Emma was fine with not having magic; it was one more weight off of her shoulders. She wouldn't have to decipher the weird scribbles Regina had tried to engage her with, and she wouldn't end up on another rope bridge trying to do her best Aladdin impression to stay alive. It sounded good to her.

"That is entirely beside the point, Miss Swan." Regina tiredly chastised her, and Emma sat up, knowing she wasn't getting out of this one; Regina had her mind set on this happening, and Emma was just going to have to go along for the ride. Regina had decided Emma was getting her magic back, and once Regina made up her mind about something, it was happening. Emma just hoped she wouldn't be bathing in blood or anything; she watched Grimm, after all.

"Okay, fine. What do I have to do?" She groaned in defeat as she tried to be mature about this whole thing. Regina slowed, then turned to her, gathering her thoughts a moment as she looked Emma up and down.

“I'm not entirely sure.” Regina admitted. “Nor I, nor Belle have been able to find any reference to the spell Zelena used to take your magic, and Rumplestiltskin is equally stumped. That makes it very difficult to counteract it. There are two options: either it was a binding spell or a severance, and the ways to counteract them are very different.” 

“Okay... so... how do we find out which one it is...?” Emma asked, not understanding half of what Regina was saying, but not really caring either. She just wanted to hear where to go and what to do—the 'how's and 'why's were not really her cup of tea. Regina regarded her intently.

“A severance spell takes a lot of power, and it's dangerous for the caster; it completely severs the connection between the witch and her power source. Consider it a bridge that collapses, or a tunnel that caves in: the connection simply no longer exists, although it can be rebuilt with great difficulty. With a binding spell the witch is still connected to the source of her power, but the connection is blocked by magic. Consider it a dam in a river or a clogged drainage pipe. We can break a binding by using brute magical force, but if I flood your system with magic and it turns out your connection is severed, all the energy I pump into you has nowhere to go and you could end up burning up from the inside out. I've read eyewitness accounts of that happening and I would rather not risk it.” Regina explained carefully, and Emma nodded, infinitely grateful. Burning up from the inside out sounded like a very crappy way to go, honestly.

“Okay, so that's out... what else?” Emma questioned, and now it was Regina's turn to sigh. 

"We need to regard your loss of magic as a severance, and build from there. Hopefully, our efforts to rebuild the bridge—as it were—between you and your magic will eventually enable you to unbind your own magic if it turns out it was a binding after all, and if not, well, we will have to risk 'unblocking' you. After all, if our efforts to rebuild turn out futile, it must be a binding... or you were simply not powerful enough to re-establish the connection. With your source of magic as inborn as True Love's conception, you should have power aplenty to restore the connection." Regina explained patiently, and Emma nodded.

“Okay, great, but what do I _do_?” She questioned, itching to get this over with. Henry was at school, and this was the first afternoon in weeks where she'd had enough time and privacy to walk around her apartment half naked and watch cartoons. It was a pastime she rarely got to indulge herself in these days and she was hoping she would be able to hurry this along so she could salvage the few hours that remained before Henry got back.

“It's not that easy, Emma. Breaking a severance is a process that can take _years_. It requires a perfectly clear mind, intense study, and long hours of practice every single day to train the new pathways.” Regina announced the news grimly, but a slow smirk snuck upon her features once she caught sight of the mortification on Emma's face—something that was impossible to hide as Emma thought of the work ahead—for something Emma didn't even want in the first place. “...that is why I have discussed another option with Belle and your mother. Belle came upon an old work by Morgaine le Fay, a brilliant witch whose stories have made it to this realm as well, I believe? She was the half-sister of Arthur Pendragon; King Arthur? In essence, she describes a process where two witches link power, allowing the one to tap into the power source of the other and visa versa. She describes it as a connection that forms over time, but I think we might be able to force the connection along between us, using Morgaine's words as... magical jumper cables, if you will.”

This time Emma decided to suffice with a pointed look to try and coax clear instructions out of the brunette. Regina rolled her eyes at her impatience, and her obvious inability or lack of desire to educate herself.

“Unfortunately, since these connections are rare and have not been studied in clear detail, there isn't a ten-step plan to follow. For now, the best I can do is urge you to pack a bag: you are moving into the mansion while Henry moves out and in with Mary Margaret and David. You and I are going to play house; no distractions, no excuses, until we find a way to connect on a magical level.” Regina deadpanned, and it took Emma a few moments to realize she was actually dead serious. She still had to confirm, though, that Regina actually intended for them to cohabit.

“You’re joking.” She practically pleaded. “For how long?”

“I can hear you are positively thrilled to have to spent time with me. Thank you for that boost to my self-esteem. Regardless, I am not joking; we have all agreed that you moving into the mansion and spending time with me is the simplest—and shortest—way for you to get your magic back. That said, I cannot give you a time frame. Magic is emotion, Emma, and for this to work, we have to _connect_. I know we can do that on occasion; when we touched, we activate Jefferson’s hat, when we combined our magic, we were powerful enough to deactivate the trigger, and even cause an eclipse. We have the ability to do what Morgaine describes, but we need to get to a place where we can connect like that at will, and even from a distance.” Regina started, and while Emma’s mind tried to catch up on the ramifications of all of this, Regina launched into another explanation that Emma missed at least half of.

“…she describes the process as two rivers of magical energy—yours and mine, in this case—coming together. The added momentum of our streams intersecting causes us to become more powerful than we already were, even if we don’t use each other’s ‘water’ directly. That kind of power should be enough to remove any binding, and if you then use my magic to call out to yours, you should be able to undo a severance as well. Most importantly, there would not be a chance of you burning up in the process. Do you understand what I’m trying to teach you, Emma?” Regina prodded, getting closer and catching Emma’s eyes as she had been staring off into space.

“Not really, to be honest. I mean, I get the magical river stuff, and I heard I won’t be burning up, so that is great, but I’m still a little stuck on moving in with you? My parents signed off on this?” Emma questioned, not quite believing this wasn’t some elaborate hoax by Regina, engaged in for some unearthly reason. 

“Gladly so,” Regina explained with a slightly teasing smile as she rounded the desk and draped herself against it in one of the expensive dresses the brunette had taken to wearing lately. This one was a dark blue hue and seemed to be poured on, although the fabric as thick and coarse. While Emma’s dress sense had improved some since the latest curse had taken hold, this was a definite grade above her comfort levels and she wondered if it itched. She forced herself to drag her eyes up so she could meet dark brown which, despite Regina’s light tone of voice, reflected a worry that Emma found unsettling. 

“…your father nearly died in the last skirmish, and your mother was seconds away from being frozen as well. If that had happened, I would have had to choose: the life of you and your father, or your mother’s. I wouldn’t have been on time to defrost all of you, especially not if the Snow Queen had still been free to hurl blasts of snow and ice at me. I know you do not want your magic back, but it’s your birth right, a promise you were destined to fulfil. You need it, and your parents know that. They also know that you will not commit to intense studies over extended periods of time, and long hours of meditation and physical exercises. In fact, it was your mother who suggested that, instead of simply spending more time together as I proposed, we lock ourselves in until we forge the connection. We agreed that it would be the least painful way for you to go through the process, and the least time-consuming.” Regina explained, and Emma swallowed with difficulty. She was both flattered and a little annoyed that her parents and Regina knew her well enough to know that she wasn’t going to stick with an extended program.

“Thanks, I guess. And, you know, it’s not that I don’t want to spend time with _you_ , it’s just… a little weird, I guess? I mean, what are we going to do together?” Emma questioned, leaning back in Regina’s chair so she could more easily meet the older woman’s eyes. 

“Talk, I suppose. Practice, eat three healthy meals a day, and sleep. Listen to the radio. I’ve stocked up on alcohol, just in case.” Regina answered, allowing her full lips to curve into a smirk with the last words, and Emma found herself grinning. 

“Smart move. Okay, fine, but before we do this, I’m going to drive by the grocery store for supplies. I can’t live off of rabbit food like you do.” She stated defiantly, and Regina rolled her eyes while holding back a grin. 

“Deal, Miss Swan. Purchase your poison and pack your bags, and I’ll wrap things up here. I’ll meet you at your parent’s apartment in a few hours. We’ll say goodbye to Henry and I’ll drive you to your new home-away-from-home.” Regina planned easily, and Emma nodded, pushing up and straightening out her plait skirt in the process.

“See you soon, roomie.” She said by way of goodbye, and Regina grinned openly now, dipping her head a moment before pushing off as well. Emma smirked and nodded, exiting the mayoral office with deliberate steps. She would be lying if she said she didn’t consider going into hiding for a long moment, but as she looked back and found Regina’s seated form tracking her intently, worry plainly on her features, she realized that wasn’t in the cards; Emma may have been suppressing any and all thought of her magic-less state, but the people around her—people who cared—hadn’t, and _they_ were worried. That was enough to go along with them; she knew her parents loved her, and she knew that Regina knew what she was doing. They were doing everything in their power to make this easy on her; the least she could do was show up for the experiment.


	2. Chapter 2

_"I have spent a lifetime and more amongst my beloved sisters. I have been taught, and teach in return. Here, in Avalon, we share thoughts like presents, and give our hearts freely. Every woman here is a sister to me, and I love her as much as I love myself. When we connect in night bound rites, or sit companionably together by one of the many waterfalls this beautiful island houses, we become one in mind, and heart, and soul—and yet, I have never experienced the rumoured bond that can exist between mages. Perhaps it’s because I love all of my sisters equally, perhaps because the bond requires a different kind of love. My days on this earth are waning, and still I am no closer to finding the key to this mystery than I was when I first heard about it. All I know is that I will be looking for it until my dying breath, because to die without it seems like the truest waste of a life."_

\-- Morgaine le Fay – ‘Musings of the Veil’

 

Emma pulled up to the apartment complex her parents lived in with two full grocery bags, stuffed to the brim with chocolate, candy, and baked goods, and a large suitcase she rolled into the hallway first. Walking the stairs upwards, she could hear the sound of animated conversation drifting down; Regina was already here, as well as Henry, whom Mary Margaret must have given a ride from school. She knocked on the wood of the opened door, and five sets of eyes landed on her—David’s, Mary Margaret’s, Regina’s, Henry’s, and the final occupant of the room beyond was Belle, whose arms were filled with dusty tomes.

“Officer Swan, Reporting for duty.” She joked, and Mary Margaret and Regina were the only ones who did not snicker. “Hey kid, good day?”

Henry nodded, still grinning, and she had the distinct feeling she was being laughed at. She narrowed her eyes dangerously, and Henry’s grin widened.

“Right, shall we get this show on the road?” She asked, slightly uncomfortable now as these people seemed to have this whole thing figured out and the best she remembered was something with drainage pipes an burning up from the inside. She just wanted to get this over with. In light of recent events, she decided that if she was going to be stuck in a house 24/7, she was going to be comfortable while doing it, and so she had fished some of her old jeans out of her closet, and a bunch of tank tops and vests. She hoped Regina would wave her rule about always wearing at least one item of clothing designed by Prada as well, because truthfully, Emma was still a little intimidated by Mayor Mills. There wouldn’t be much bonding unless Regina loosened up considerably—although Mayor Mills was rather hot as well.

“Yes, we shall.” Regina answered with a smile, although her voice betrayed a sense of dread. Emma realized for the first time that perhaps spending long hours with Emma was not exactly on Regina’s bucket list either. They had been getting along very well lately, but they had a tendency to clash over little things, and there was a lot of history between them. Besides, Regina was a private person, and she had just offered Emma full access to her home and person, just so Emma could get her magic back quicker. It was sweet, and flattering, Emma now realized, and she vowed to be a decent house guest to the dark haired sorceress. 

“…Henry, sweetheart, be good to your grandparents, help with the baby and don’t get in trouble. Emma and I will call you at least once a day, and hopefully, your mother and I will be able to work this out soon so you can come back. David, no more driving lessons, and Snow, take care of him, alright? I’ll see you soon, my little prince.” Regina instructed, and Emma watched her address everyone in turn, ending up with her arms around Henry, whispering the last term of endearment into his hair. Henry was getting too old to enjoy PDA’s, but he allowed Regina to hold him now, and it was obvious he would miss his mom very much. “Be good, you hear? And Belle, thank you for the books. They will come in handy. If you find out anything more, you will let me know?”

“Of course. I’ve marked the passages I’ve found so far, and the red notes indicate where I stopped reading. If there is anything more in these they’ll be behind those markers.” Belle explained, and Regina nodded, accepting the pile of books from the brunette with a grateful nod.

“Thank you, for everything. Alright, Emma, say your goodbyes so we can leave, please?” Regina questioned, and Emma sighed, raising her hand sheepishly.

“Bye!” She said lamely, and couldn’t hold back a smile as everyone came in for a hug—even Belle—while Regina waited by the door, a soft smile on her features. They left together, Emma picking up her bags and suitcase on the way out and loading them into Regina’s car before settling into the passenger seat, curiously observing the immaculate inside until Regina joined her, coaxed the engine to life, and drove off, leaving Emma to wave at the people seeing her off. She felt like she was going on vacation—like Regina was taking her to the airport—but the truth was much odder. It always was, in Storybrooke.

“Hey, Regina? I wanted to thank you for, you know, this? You can’t be looking forward to spending this much time with me. I’ll try not to bug you too much, okay?” Emma tried sheepishly, and Regina turned her head to smile at her a moment before focusing back on the road ahead.

“It’s fine, Emma. It was my idea to recover your magic, and I offered to teach you long ago. I’m just making good on that promise.” Regina explained, and Emma nodded, appeased. Still, she vowed to be a good guest, and as decent a student as she could be. The reality of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks, though, as Regina pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine. They sat together in silence a moment, then Regina turned to look at her.

“If we both put in our best effort, this should not take too long. You will have your freedom soon. Until then, I hope you will enjoy your time in my home, and will take care not to break anything.” Regina said, smirking teasingly at the end, and Emma rolled her eyes.

“I’ll try.” She replied, and Regina arched a brow. “What? Best I can do.”

“Then that will have to suffice. Oh—one more house rule, if you will. I need you to promise me that you will heed my every instruction, and every warning, where magic is concerned. What we are trying to do is not only difficult, but unprecedented, as far as I am aware. We are trying to force the flow of magic, and that is always a dangerous thing to do. I am confident in my ability to keep us both safe, but this time, when I tell you not to touch something, I need you to heed that warning, and when I tell you to do something, I need you to try your best to do it. I’m not trying to scare you, but I _am_ trying to prevent you from getting hurt, alright?” Regina told her, and Emma nodded, well aware that she wasn’t the best at following orders, nor heeding warnings. Still, Regina had a point: she knew what she was doing, while Emma was just along for the ride.

“Understood.” She promised, and took a deep breath. “Let’s do this.” 

They walked the steps to the front door together, Regina balancing a stack of books while she dragged Emma’s suitcase along, and Emma hauling groceries. While Regina fumbled with the lock, Emma looked back towards the road one more time, feeling an irrational desire to run bubble up inside of her. She disregarded it, walking into the house that always smelled of Regina, Henry, and the apple blossom cleaning agent Regina used, and heading straight for the kitchen to unpack. Regina soon joined her, having disposed of Emma’s luggage and the books she had been carrying, and silently helped her find room for everything she had purchased, not once making a comment on sugar contents or empty calories. Emma mused that if they managed to keep this up, they would be just fine.

After clearing the groceries away, Regina invited her into the hallway, and took her hands after requesting permission to do so. Emma stared down at their entwined fingers, then looked up questioningly. She hadn’t been this close to Regina in a while. This close to the older woman, she was able to see flecks of gold in her dark eyes, and small lines near her eyes and mouth. This close, she got to take in young hairs that stood up from Regina’s otherwise perfectly sculpted hairdo, and she could smell the scent of breath mints on Regina’s breath with every exhale. Regina smiled, softly, in the way she did when she was nervous, and Emma squeezed her hand, wondering what Regina saw when she looked at her.

“What are we doing here…?” Emma prodded eventually, feeling Regina jump at the sudden intrusion of sound in a house that had gone completely silent as they had simply stood and observed. Emma was happy to note that she enjoyed the way Regina’s soft hands fit into hers, and that she wasn’t uncomfortable at all sharing this level of closeness with the brunette. She had realized long ago that she quite enjoyed her time with Regina. They clashed on occasion, but Regina was one of the only people in her life whom she could always trust to tell her the truth.

“Magic.” Regina answered, and Emma smiled, enjoying the level of emotion in Regina’s voice, and the way her eyes darted down when Emma gently rubbed her thumb along the skin of Regina’s hand. Emma was reminded of the town line when they had last held hands, staring into each other’s eyes and trying to convey so many things without words or even understanding of _what_ , exactly, they had been trying to convey.

“Feels familiar, doesn’t it?” She asked softly, her voice shushed by the silence around her, and Regina nodded. 

“It does. This time, though, the spell will keep you here, with me, in this house, instead of having to watch you drive off with Henry.” Regina answered equally quietly, and the pain of old wounds flashed through gold-flecked brown. Emma squeezed the hands in hers. 

“That must have been hard…” She sympathised; Emma and Henry had lost their memories almost instantly, but from what Mary Margaret had told her, Regina had watched them drive off until the very moment her curse had taken effect. Emma couldn’t imagine the heartbreak of seeing her son drive off, knowing she would never be able to see him again.

“It was. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.” Regina answered, a crack in her voice, and because Regina refused to look away, Emma could see moisture pushing up. She stepped a little closer in sympathy, and Regina smiled. “Thankfully, that was all sorted. Now… magic. I want you to close your eyes and try to feel out my magic as I cast the spell that will keep up locked in to the property. The gardens will be accessible, but nothing beyond that, alright?”

Regina’s voice had returned to a more distant—business-like—level, but the remnants of her emotions were still there, close to the surface, and Emma felt a wave of fierce protectiveness bubble up, even though she was well aware Regina could and would kick her ass any day if push ever came to shove. Regina didn’t need protecting, but somehow, she hated seeing the brunette in pain. Over the years, the two of them had gotten to be fairly close underneath all the animosity, and they were at a point in their relationship that Emma tentatively labelled them as ‘friends’. Emma had never had many of those, and so she thought it fairly natural she felt protective of the brunette now.

“How?” She asked, trying to keep her mind on the first lesson at hand. 

“Magic has a way of… creating ripples. Remember True Love’s kiss? It’s like that with every spell that’s cast, only far less powerfully so. Everyone who has magic, or has experienced a lot of it, is sensitive to these ripples to some degree. I call them ‘ripples’, because they feel like ripples to me, but I know Rumplestiltskin thinks of them as ‘vibrations’. To him, the magic of others feels like a buzz to the skin, for me, it washes over me like waves. It makes the hairs on my arms stand on end. I don’t know what it feels like to you, but it’s important you start finding that out. We will be doing a lot of exercises to increase your magical awareness, but since this is a powerful spell, I want you to be here, close to me, touching me, while I cast it. Depending on your sensitivity, you might pick up on it right away and save us a lot of time.” Regina explained, and Emma nodded, feeling the pressure.

“Okay, do it. I’ll try.” She vowed, and Regina nodded.

“That is all I ask of you. Now, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Try to calm yourself and find a way to be fully _here_. Focus on my hands in yours, for example, and let the outside world fall away. There is only the contact of skin on skin, there is only my skin under your thumb, only the warmth of my hands against yours. There is only my voice, and you only smell my perfume. Remember, you can feel, and see, and hear, and taste, and touch, with all your senses, and I want you to focus all your senses on me. Can you feel me, Emma?” Regina whispered softly but clearly, drawing Emma in by the sound of her voice as she felt herself sinking into darkness and warmth that engulfed her. Emma _knew_ she was standing in Regina’s hallway with Regina’s hands in her own, but in her head, she soon found herself floating in the darkness, tattered by Regina’s hands, very aware of the other woman’s close proximity and the gentle beating of her heart under lightly tinted skin. 

“Yes…” She whispered reverently, and she could almost _feel_ Regina smiling. 

“Very good, dear… now, keep focussed on me and whatever happens, don’t be frightened. You are perfectly safe, I promise you that.” Regina said softly, then fell silent. For what seemed like the longest time, nothing happened. Emma stood, enjoying the way her usually frantic mind found a little bit of peace and quiet, when she suddenly became aware of a metallic taste in her mouth, and a shiver of energy that traversed her spine, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She felt a gently press against her chest, pushing into her to settle heavily into the base of her skull where it throbbed quietly, becoming more oppressive by the second.

“Regina…?” She asked—warned—but there wasn’t a reply. Quickly, Emma opened her eyes and found Regina before her, head down, speaking silently as a purple haze swirled around them, similar to the way the heaviness had swirled inside her skull. Even without focussing on it, Emma could feel it lingering inside of her body. Spikes of electricity still traversed her spine, and the taste in her mouth wouldn’t leave. Only when the cloud suddenly rushed out in all directions, expanding rapidly until it faded through walls and ceilings, did the pressure lessen and the taste fade. Regina blinked opened her eyes, searched her face, and smiled.

“You felt that.” She concluded, and Emma nodded, equal measures shocked, amazed, and proud. “What did it feel like?”

“Like… shivers down my spine, and like a headache from being in the sun too long. My mouth tasted like I’d been sucking on a penny.” Emma tried to convey, and Regina nodded, a wide smile breaking out on her face.

“Good, that’s good. Better than I had expected.” Regina squeezed her hands before finally letting go—regrettably, it seemed—and she cleared her throat as she smoothed out her dress. “Well, the barrier is up, so we’re locked in. I trust you to stay with me until we work out how to bond, but the constant presence of magic _meant_ to affect you will make it easier for you to attune to my magic—and yours.”

“Thanks. I think I’ll need all the help I can get, honestly.” Emma answered sheepishly, subconsciously sliding her hands into her back pockets as she realized she didn’t necessarily want to step back from the woman still very close to her and found herself oddly conflicted over that; it hadn’t even been an hour, and already Emma was looking forward to more of this quiet time with Regina. No distractions, no excuses… it was good, and a little scary.

“Well, you are off to a great start, Emma.” Regina promised with a gentle smile, laying her hand on Emma’s upper arm a quiet moment as their eyes locked.

“Thanks.” Emma answered, swallowing with great difficulty as warmth rushed through her, brightening her cheeks. Regina’s smile merged into a smirk.

“Don’t thank me yet, Savior; you might grow to hate me before we are through.” She joked—although they both knew the possibility of Regina’s prediction coming true was a reality—and let go of Emma’s arm, distancing herself and breaking the tension between them. “Now, how about a glass of wine while I start dinner?”


	3. Chapter 3

_"Merlin was a bastard; he sold our kingdoms, our people, and our magic to the newly arisen church in order to gain favour with king and court. Yet, when news of his passing into the Blessed Isles reached us, we were saddened—I was saddened. As much pain as Merlin has caused me in my lifetime, I have learned much from him, and I owe to him the home I so very rarely leave these days as under his influence I have been labelled a devil and a temptress. Merlin used to dance our dances around the Beltane fires. He had once been the stag in our rites. He knew my sisters well—intimately so—and many of us have carried his May Day children to term. He was my friend and biggest enemy, and when he died, I wept. If anyone could have bonded with me in the way I had searched for for many of my days, it would have been him—had he been willing, and open, and unafraid of loving a woman with power equal to him. The church corrupted his mind and led him from his ways—our ways, the Old Ways—and for that, I will try to destroy it until my dying breath.”_

\-- Morgaine le Fey – ‘The Teachings of Merlin’ 

To Emma’s great surprise, Regina let her help with cooking. They flowed well together in the kitchen, moving past each other and handing each other essentials as they both kept an eye on pots and pans. They ate at the kitchen counter after Regina changed into slacks and a light sweater, and soon two glasses of wine created an easy atmosphere between them. They talked about little things—Henry’s school work, friends in New York—and bigger ones like Robin and Killian, who had meant a lot to the women in the kitchen, but whose roles in their lives had played out. Robin, Marian, and Roland now lived together at the edge of the woods in one of seven houses housing the Merry Men, and Killian had taken to the seas again, chasing down his beloved ship. They spoke of heartache, traversing from these recent flings to older loves—Daniel and Neal, respectively—and found common ground in that as well. 

By the time two AM rolled around and the fire died down in the hearth of the den, Emma had discovered far more about the brunette than she’d had in the whole of her time in Storybrooke. Regina seemed to think that opening up truly was the only way to bring them closer and attune them, and Emma tried to follow her lead. 

During the evening, Emma found out Regina could sing—very well, even—and that she had always wanted a dog but thought it would be cruel to have one with her work hours. She learned that Regina’s favourite colour was red, that she wished Storybrooke had stables, and that she missed her sister very much, despite not having gotten to know her very well at all. Regina told her more about the events surrounding Daniel’s death and the casting of the curse, and in response, Emma told Regina about growing up in foster care, and how bouncing from home to group home had hurt her growing up. She told Regina about going to prison, and how scared she had been. She talked about the night Henry showed up at her door and about her terrible track record with men—including her marks. 

She had smiled when Regina had taken her hand in support and comfort when Emma had opened up about seeing child after child leave the group home, and when Regina had spilled a few tears over lost love and loneliness, Emma had pulled her in for a gently hug that Regina had settled into easily. Emma had been aware of the closeness of their bodies, the warmth that had radiated off Regina, and the way they fitted together so very well. She had shivered as Regina’s fingers had traced her spine upwards, and had wondered why they had never hugged before. Emma might be afraid of physical intimacy, but she craved it very much as well. Once more, she had found herself unwilling to pull away, and when Regina instead took and held her hand, tracing her thumb over her skin, she had relaxed into the connection willingly—appeased. 

Once they had rinsed off the glasses and took to the stairs, Emma expected Regina to show her the guest room, but instead, the brunette lead her into the master bedroom where Emma’s suitcase was waiting for her. Emma froze on the threshold, finding only a double bed and no alternative to that sleeping arrangement. Slowly her mind caught up to the fact that this 24/7 deal would _truly_ be a 24/7 deal. She swallowed heavily, and wondered why she was suddenly a little nauseous. 

“Is something amiss, Emma?” Regina asked, and Emma shook her head. 

“No… uhhh… everything is fine. I take it that… the bed…?” Emma sputtered, and Regina smirked devilishly. 

“I sleep on the left.” She teased with a gentle smile and slid a silk nightgown over her arm, disappearing into the adjacent bathroom and closing the door behind her as Emma tried to wrap her head around sharing a bed with Regina. 

Emma had shared plenty a bed with a woman before: even in the home, they had sometimes slept together to have a bit of a human connection. Those beds had been single person beds, and they had laid pressed together in the darkness, listening to heartbeats and feeling chests rise and fall with breaths. It had been sheltering experiences, and Emma had enjoyed them. Now, though, sharing a bed—even a two-person bed—with Regina made her nervous. It was an innocent exercise in closeness that they would be partaking in—Emma had once read an article about how people who slept together in a bed aligned better during waking hours as well—and it shouldn’t phase Emma. It did phase her, however. Very much so. 

She was still standing in the door opening when Regina returned in a knee-length nightgown that clung to her every curve and showed the clear swell of breasts, and Emma realized that there was nothing innocent about this sleep-over. The exercise was, but Emma found herself caught staring at soft flesh and long legs, her mouth going dry and an uncomfortable hotness settling between her legs. She’d been aroused by women before, although she had never acted upon it, but the realisation that the sight of Regina in a nightgown aroused her was a new one. She shouldn’t be surprised, though; it had happened before; especially in the beginning of their time together, when they had still clashed under apple trees, when Regina had still met her sitting cross-legged on a desk at the sheriff station. She thought her attraction had gone away, that the pull at her baser instincts had settled in favour of comradery and cooperation, but it was back now—with a vengeance. She swallowed and looked away. 

“I’ll see you in bed.” She mumbled, eyes to the floor, and rushed past the older woman, dragging her entire suitcase into the bathroom simply because she didn’t want to take the time to fish out her PJ’s while the other woman was _right there_ with the need to connect and get to know what was inside of her. She closed the door to the bathroom behind her with a shaking hand, and locked it for good measure, resting her back against it and squeezing her eyes shut. She thought of sad and scary things, thought of grocery lists and song lyrics, anything to bury the vision of Regina mills sliding into bed—under the covers Emma would soon slide under as well. She thought of driving from here to her apartment, counting traffic lights on her way, but found her exercise in distraction hampered by the thought of meeting Regina’s bare legs under cool sheets, of lying next to her in the darkness and hearing her breathing even out, of the mattress shifting as the brunette rolled around. 

This was going to be a problem, Emma realized, because no matter how often she imagined Mrs. Harker from across the street—who had been as close to a grandmother Emma had ever had—have sex with Mr. Harker, or how often she recalled the funeral of Muffy the group home cat, she was still flushed with desire for Regina-fucking-Mills, and that was not a good thing. In fact, now Emma realized _why_ she enjoyed holding Regina’s hand and hugging her, this whole cohabitation thing was not a smart move. Rekindling her hard-on for the Mayor would surely distract her from any attempt to channel magic, or feel the waves, or whatever she was supposed to do, and that was going to prevent her from ever leaving this house. Groaning, Emma hung her head a moment before facing the music: she couldn’t hide in the bathroom forever, and the last thing she wanted was for Regina to start asking questions about what had taken her so long. 

Unzipping her suitcase, Emma fished out a pair of cotton pyjama’s and slipped them on, keeping on her bra and panties just to be on the safe side. She usually slept without both, but tonight, she wasn’t risking it. She quickly brushed her teeth and then zipped up her suitcase again, taking one—two—steadying breaths before unlocking and opening the door. 

Thankfully, Regina had already rolled onto her side, away from Emma’s spot in the bed, and in the darkness of the room, Emma quickly slid under the covers, staying as close to the edge of the bed as possible, and lying flat on her back as she stared up at the ceiling, wide-eyed. For a few moments, Emma thought she was home free, then Regina rolled onto her back as well. 

“You know, I don’t bite, Miss Swan. There is no need for you to lie all the way over there. You don’t have to touch me, of course, but perhaps it would be a more pleasant for both of us if you got a little more comfortable…?” Regina asked, and Emma tried to decipher the tone of voice the Mayor was using. 

“Sorry,” she mumbled, sliding loser a little and sliding her hand out to tentatively search for Regina’s, brushing a hard hipbone on the way and shivering. As fingers closed around hers, she sighed, hating the way heat shot up her arm at the contact. “I like the bed.” 

“Good.” Regina whispered, lacing their fingers together, and Emma smiled into the darkness. The silence hung heavily between them as Emma enjoyed the way Regina ran her thumb over her skin, searching out Regina’s face in the darkness, and watching her smile lightly once her eyes adjusted to the darkness. 

“Sleep well, Emma. We’ll start your lessons tomorrow, so we can get you out of here soon.” Regina told her, and Emma wished her the same, softly, watching how her breath set into motion the hairs on Regina’s head before resuming her inspection of the ceiling. 

An hour or so later, Emma was still wide awake, and she knew Regina was as well, although the other woman had settled onto her side now, facing Emma, hand still locked and burning in Emma’s. Emma debated with herself—again—if she should say something, if she should break this tension that had settled between them. Emma wanted to reach out, wanted to touch, to kiss. A few hours into this exercise—this lock-in—and already Emma felt a need to get much closer to the brunette than she was right now. If Regina was feeling it too, it was keeping them both awake, and Emma’s heart pounded in her throat. 

She turned her head carefully, quietly, and observed the brunette, who was pretending to be asleep. Emma had attuned quickly to the patterns of Regina’s breathing, and although she was breathing calmly now, she was awake; Emma was sure of it. She observed full lips, soft hair, closed eyes, and a cute nose. She traced a long neck and thin straps laying slack on a soft shoulder that she could trace the tip of before Regina’s body was swallowed up by soft blankets. It was an exercise in futile torture, realizing that she was looking at someone she could not have. Sure, it took two to create sexual tension, but there was a slew of issues—Henry, Emma’s parents, their shared fear of getting hurt—that would keep them apart. Mostly, though, it was Emma’s insecurity—the other issues… well, they could be resolved if they both wanted to… and Emma didn’t know if Regina wanted to. 

Emma turned her head back upwards with a sigh and slowly slid her hand from Regina’s, feeling the other woman give way. She caught the stutter in Regina’s breathing and found her heart breaking. Not holding Regina’s hand was liberating though, freeing her of her racing thoughts. Still, it took her at least an hour longer to fall asleep, and she wasn’t quite sure if Regina had even fallen asleep by then, either. 


	4. Chapter 4

_"The hardest part of learning magic was always the knowledge that magic is a natural part of our world. Those of us who have the natural aptitude to part the veil between worlds can learn to do so with varying amounts of training to unlock a talent that was always inside of us. For us, it’s like learning to walk: we were always destined to do it, but we needed someone to take our hand and show us what to do. Those without this natural aptitude see us walking from their position on hands and knees and accuse us of darkness because we strove towards the light. But we have seen the trees, and the plants, and the grass: we know that nature always reaches upwards, and we will not waste our abilities because others fear them. We will part our veils, and we will do so as effortless as walking becomes to us once we have gotten over stumbling and falling. We part the veil and align the worlds, and know that we are part of nature."_

\-- Morgaine le Fay – ‘The Metaphysics of Magic’

 

Emma awoke to a movement against her and groaned tiredly, sliding out her hand and catching a strong wrist as Regina leaned back upon it, trying to untangle from Emma and slide out of the bed. Emma groaned sleepily, then realized that just seconds before Regina must have been tangled with her, and the thoughts and feelings from last night returned to her at once, causing her to release the arm under her hand as if burned. 

“I’m sorry,” Regina whispered. “I didn’t mean to wake you. Sleep.” 

“It’s okay… I should get up…” Emma groaned, blinking her eyes open, and finding Regina looking down at her from the edge of the bed where she was seated, twisting her body to meet Emma’s eyes. She looked tired, but she was smiling, regardless. Emma responded in kind. 

“Of course. I’ll use the master bathroom and meet you downstairs at your leisure.” Regina told her softly, and Emma nodded mutely, sitting up as Regina moved around the room, picking out a set of clothes and leaving the room with a last, lingering glance. Groaning, Emma flopped down and flung her arm over her eyes in an attempt to block out the world. She was in so much trouble.

By the time Emma headed downstairs, running her fingers through drying hair, the scent of strong coffee and warm bread met her nose. She listened to her stomach rumble and felt her spirits lift considerably. If she could get her hands on a large mug of real coffee, she would feel a lot better, she knew. Coffee was pretty much a lifeline for the blonde, and it always steadied her nerves. Somehow, she wasn’t surprised to find the brunette in front of the window, staring out into the garden, hands around a mug she was gently blowing into. Another cup stood next to the machine, and Emma headed to it easily, noting all the while that Regina wasn’t turning around, nor looking at her.

“I was thinking that after breakfast, we could do a couple of quick exercises to test your sensitivity to magic? That would establish how much we still need to do to prepare you for interacting with mine.” Regina was all business, but Emma inwardly smiled at the care she put into the words. Emma felt floaty again, like when she had tried to feel Regina’s magic, and she wondered if the constant buzz of magic around them had anything to do with it or that she was simply buzzing because of Regina.

“Sure, let’s see how susceptible to magic being True Love’s child actually makes you.” Emma joked, and Regina smiled—she could see it clearly in her refection. Speaking of which, Regina was most certainly observing her, just indirectly. She smiled, and Regina’s widened.

“Hey, Regina? I… can I ask you something?” Emma asked, biting her lip, and Regina turned around, nodding openly as she took a sip of her coffee. “It’s just… I’ve never cared much for this magic stuff, and while I was flattered I had it at all, I never really wanted it. It’s just… weird to me. I know you want me to get it back but… do I really have to? I kind of like being… normal again.” 

“That ‘weird magic stuff’, is very important to me, Emma, and it’s part of your legacy. It’s in your blood. Until you embrace it, you will never be complete. I know you would rather not get your magic back, but you _need_ it—and the world needs you to have it. Someone with your level of raw potential was meant to make waves. You were given your magic for a reason, it’s a natural part of you, and discarding that side of your person is discarding a part of yourself; it will cripple you in the long run.” Regina explained again, and Emma tried to listen—truly listen—to what she was saying this time. 

She knew her magic was a part of her, and she had seen how impressed Regina had been with her power—impressed, not jealous, as Emma had expected. No, Regina had tried to help her cultivate her magic before Emma had been forced to give it up in exchange for Hook’s life. It had seemed like a fair deal at the time, but it was turning out to be a big hassle now.

“I know you care a lot about your magic, but you grew up in the Enchanted Forest where magic was a normal thing. Here it’s a part of kid’s stories and fantasy movies. Here, magic isn’t real, and yeah, I guess it’s hard for me to want something I’ve always thought wasn’t real.” Emma confessed, and Regina sighed. She took two heavy steps towards Emma, set her mug on the kitchen counter and took Emma’s hand without hesitation. In a familiar gesture, Regina encased her hand in flames and lifted Emma’s hand until it hovered palm up in the air, keeping one hand around Emma’s wrist, the other settling into the palm of Emma’s hand with the back of hers, letting Emma see the fire leap up, and feel the touch of the flames without it burning her. She figured the hand on her wrist had something to do with the lack of pain, because small wisps of purple smoke curled up from it, wrapping around her hand. She met Regina’s eyes over the fire, watching shadows dance over strong features and darken the orbs before her. Again, she found flecks of gold, and again, her stomach turned nervously.

“This is real life, Emma. This is magic, right here. This is not a parlour trick, this is not a special effect. If I let go of your hand now, the flames would singe your skin. I know you have trouble believing that the Enchanted Forest is as large a part of you as it is of me, but it’s true. You were born there, you _are_ magic; your natural state is to practice magic. This magic-less state will keep you from reaching your full potential, because… because like with Henry when he wasn’t with you, you are incomplete. I can help you, Emma, but you need to start believing in magic, in yourself… and in me.” Regina pleaded with her, stepping as close as she dared as the grip on Emma’s wrist increased to a level that was almost painful. It was meant to drive home a point, Emma could tell, just like the emotion in Regina’s voice was, and the intensity in her eyes.

“So, why did you try to stop using magic?” Emma asked softly, and Regina smiled ruefully, breaking eye contact a quiet moment.

“Because I was using magic for the wrong reasons, and I stopped using it for reasons that were even worse: keeping Henry with me. He saw I was using magic as a crutch to walk through life in the delusion that I could have a happy end, and that wasn’t the way he wanted that for me. He wanted me to repent for my sins, and as long as I kept covering them with magic, I could never truly be absolved. I tried to stop for Henry’s sake, but without it… well… without it, we would all be dead right now, or trapped in a curse by Pan’s design. Those of us destined to have and use magic will always be brought back to it—and those who refuse, perish, along with those they love—because they did not have the power to fulfil their potential. Magic is a gift, Emma, and a curse. It can’t be escaped, and you can’t run from it without facing the consequences—consequences you will not be made aware of beforehand.” Regina told her intently, and lifted her hand, slowly bringing the fire up under Emma’s hand until the flames seemed to leap up from her hand instead of Regina’s. Emma watched her, nervously, unsure of where this was going. She trusted Regina, though, trusted her to do right by her.

“…do you understand how important this is? Do you understand that you need to _let me in_? I don’t want you to die—you already almost did—and Henry would be crushed. Just think about it; what if it had been Henry instead of Mary Margaret? What is the Snow Queen had frozen him and you? Would you have made me choose between you and David, and my son? What if you had been in my position, watching as David and I died in that ice, knowing there was nothing you could do because you had refused to reclaim your magic? You were destined to do good, to save people, and you have been given magic to do it. I know it wasn’t your first choice, but truthfully, the choice was never yours to begin with. I am the Evil Queen, I was destined to cast the Dark Curse. You are the Savior, you were destined to break it. That is real life, as real as this flame.” Regina’s hand on her wrist pulled away a fraction, and right away, pain seared through Emma’s flesh, causing her to yelp and yank her hand away, tears coming to her eyes as she cradled her injured hand, anger flaring, doubling over.

“It’s real, Emma.” Regina repeated, hand still encased in flames, balancing the ball of fire in her palm. She squeezed her hand into a fist and the fire died out. Impatiently, she beckoned for Emma’s hand, and although Emma was in pain, and very confused, she gave up her hand without question, watching angry red flash over her skin. 

“It’s real.” Regina whispered again, and with a single wave of her hand over Emma’s, the pain subsided and the skin healed. The redness faded before Emma’s eyes and within seconds, not a trace remained of the minor burns that had once adorned her hand. She gasped for air, still in shock, and stared wide-eyes at the woman she could now only see as the Queen, as a teacher, as a woman trying to instil a lesson in her, no matter the cost—because the cost of failure was too great.

“You must get your magic back, Emma, no matter what it takes. I am trying to make it easy for you, am trying to open up to you so you feel safe doing so as well. I’m trying to imprint on you that I am on your side.” Regina pleaded, voice shaking even though her grip was absolutely still as she held Emma’s hand loosely.

“You have a funny way of showing it.” Emma grumbled, and Regina laughed a mirthless laugh.

“Oh sweetheart, if you think this was painful, you should ask Rumplestiltskin how he trained me. You should ask him about the burns that lasted for days until I finally learned to heal myself, about the lashes he gave me when I failed to understand, the broken bones from ‘accidents’ and magical ‘mishaps’ that were caused by his insistence to push my progress beyond what I was ready for. You should ask him about the nights he rooted through my mind, observing every dark thought, every experience, and laughed at every time I had cursed him in my mind. He pushed me until I pushed back, and then he pushed some more. I learned magic in ways you can’t even imagine right now—in ways I will never put you through. Rumplestiltskin is a sadist, and he enjoyed seeing me fail, seeing me in pain. I’m trying to prevent you from ever getting hurt more than this.” Regina pressed upon her, holding up Emma’s hand to show her the healed back of it, although the memories remained. Emma shivered, more so when Regina’s steady hands brought her shaking one up to her lips and she kissed it, lingering over the skin that would always—always—remind Emma of how real magic was. She got it now; she understood.

“I’m attracted to you.” She blurted out, wanting to do the right thing, to open up, to show Regina she could do this—that she understood how important it was for her to do this.

“I know.” Regina said gently, smiling, and squeezed the hand between hers as she lowered it again, holding it out between them. “I saw it in you last night.”

“What? Why didn’t you say something…? You’re… okay with that?” Emma asked, dumbfounded and a little pissed off for having held back when she could have given in.

“Because I wanted you to be sure, and because I’m not exactly experienced in love.” Regina confessed, a tad shyly, and Emma groaned, cheeks ablaze as she shook her head in wonderment.

“I need to sit down for this… and have coffee.” She mumbled, picking up her mug again from where she had discarded it once Regina had taken her hand, and pulling out a bar stool at the kitchen island. She sat, watching as Regina did the same. “Okay, so… last night… you would have… you wanted…”

“If you are trying to ask me if I would have slept with you last night, the answer is ‘yes’.” Regina finally put her out of her stuttering misery. Emma felt her heart spring to a gallop as her imagination got the better of her, and she had to cover her shock and arousal in a long sip of coffee.

“Why?” She finally managed to utter, overcoming her shock with curiosity. Regina turned her mug around in her hands, not looking at her as she sighed.

“Because I have wanted to sleep with you for a long time now, and even though I’m afraid to say it, I find myself having developed feelings for you. I realized it when we had to say goodbye, and pushed it down because first you were gone, and then you continued to issue threats of leaving, but since then… well… let’s just say that that I still wake up from nightmares in which I am unable to get you out of the ice.” Regina confessed, finally turning her head to meet her eyes, and Emma found them full of emotion—fear and relief warring above all.

“I didn’t know.” Emma whispered, and Regina licked her lips.

“Well, now you do.” Regina countered, and Emma groaned, hanging her head on her arms, splayed out on the table.

“Great, my mother is going to have a heart attack.” Emma groaned, but turned her head to the side when Regina chuckled.

“My dear, she already knows. She is the one who convinced Belle and myself that this short-cut to restoring your magic would work. She saw you cared about me, and she has known for a long time now that I care about you… Morgaine’s words read of this bond forming between two people who share not only magic, but a mind and heart… Belle thought that would be an issue, but your mother literally said that everything would be alright then, as long as we had nothing and no one to hide behind.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me before?” Emma questioned frustrated, and a tad embarrassed, and now it was Regina’s turn to blush.

“Because I wanted you to come to these conclusions on your own… because I didn’t want to force myself upon you. Now we are at this point, though, having come clean about our feelings and our needs… I would like us to explore them more openly…? It would make bonding with you easier if we did not hold ourselves back.” Regina said softly, and Emma nodded, licking her lips.

“Does that mean that… if I want to kiss you… I can?” She asked, and Regina smiled adorably, blushing as she nodded. Emma bit her lip, fighting a grin, and slid off of her chair, coffee forgotten as she watched Regina turn in her seat. She stepped close, pressing between Regina’s slacks-clad legs and sliding her fingers up the outside of them, feeling Regina grip her hips a little tighter. She swallowed, searching dark orb and finding very few gold flecks now Regina’s pupils had dilated. When Regina nervously licked her lips, Emma felt her gaze drawn towards the gesture and she smiled, noting how Regina’s breathing sped up to match her own, and once she cupped Regina’s cheeks with both hands, sliding into soft hair at the back of her skull, the lips before her parted as she allowed herself to be pulled forward. Regina’s hands burned on her hips as they connected, and Emma shuddered, leaning forward until they were mere inches apart.

“Maybe this was part of the big plan… me losing my magic so the Queen and the Savior could get together?” She questioned, and Regina chuckled darkly. 

“I sure hope so, Miss Swan… now kiss me.” She whispered into the minimal space between them, and without wasting another second, Emma met the full lips before her in a soft press that ignited her from head to toe. Regina’s lips were warm and firm against hers, and her hands wrapped around Emma’s lower torso more securely in response. She found herself moaning softly as Regina whimpered, pulling her tighter as Emma pressed closer. Regina’s tongue sliding over her lips caused Emma to part them, and finally meeting Regina’s tongue send such a shot of arousal through Emma’s system that she felt her knees go weak. The desire for the older woman that had simmered in her system for years now rushed up, causing her head to swim as she drowned in slow caresses, in deep presses, in a kiss that was perfectly balanced and incredibly addictive.

Once she pulled back, gasping for breath as she leaned her forehead against Regina’s, she realized she couldn’t stop smiling. Regina’s hands traced her back as Emma held tight to the side of her head, sheltering them in this intimate moment that seemed entirely magical. 

“Wow…” She mumbled, and Regina laughed, pecking at her lips, pulling back a little to meet her eyes.

“Indeed… you know, I think we will do just fine, connecting.” Regina whispered, and Emma smirked. She was determined to do a lot of connecting with Regina. A lot.


	5. Chapter 5

_"Light and darkness are illusions when it comes to magic—magic is just magic. It is in the hands of the mage how it is used. The veil lets energy through that a good sorcerer can tap into; those who have the aptitude for it do it easily, others need more work. Do not listen to those who speak evil of magic—speak evil of people, not magic. Magic is a gift of the Goddess, and it is sacred, even if it’s used for dark."_

\-- Morgaine le Fay – ‘The Metaphysics of Magic’

 

They cleared the den of its furniture, pushing everything to the side and then sat down on couch pillows on the rug, both barefooted, both smiling. They locked eyes and hands as their knees met, and Emma listened intently as Regina lulled her mind into the darkness again, easily allowing the world to fall away. She had thought it would be harder for her—who always worried so much—but it was easy. She trusted Regina, and she _wanted_ to connect with her. She relished the feel of soft hands in hers, of the energy that passed between them once Regina made her aware of it. She thought back to their kiss and focussed on the way she wanted to kiss her again, using that need as a bridge to connect with the other woman.

“When you are ready, Emma, I want you to try to reach out to me with your mind. I’m going to bring my magic to the surface where it’s easiest for you to reach. What I want you to do is try to feel it out. Again, remember to use all your senses; it doesn’t have to come to you as a feeling; it can be something you see or even something you smell. Just keep an open mind, alright?” Regina instructed softly, slowly, and Emma nodded, completely relaxed, although she was tired already. They had been at it for three hours now, first outside where Regina had let her feel the barrier with her hands, and then had tried to get her to feel it with her other senses. She could feel it when she tried to push her hand through it—it was like pushing through static electricity—but when she tried to reach out to it with any of her other senses, she’d felt nothing.

They had played a blindfolded game of tag where Regina had tried to get Emma to find her, but Emma hadn’t been happy with the results. She could sense Regina a little, but it wasn’t accurate, and she had become frustrated quickly by a barrier that seemed to inhibit her from succeeding. It was as if her body remembered it could do this, but was physically unable to comply. They had given up then, opting to eat a light brunch and try again—even though only a few hours had passed, Emma had found herself completely starved, although she’d had a big breakfast. Regina had told her that she was quite sure magic burned more calories than sex, and Emma had told her she would test out that theory, causing the other woman to blush.

They had settled in for round two, Regina deciding that perhaps a quiet environment where Emma could truly focus would be more successful. Well, Emma was going to try her hardest. She wanted to make Regina proud. 

“Okay, go.” She instructed and then levelled out her breathing again as Regina had taught her, sinking into the quiet buzzing that Regina inspired in her. She waited, trying to coax her senses open, and waited some more as she tried to focus her mind on Regina’s hands in hers, on the buzz, on anything that might be her magic. This time, Regina wasn’t forcing her magic outwards like with the barrier spell, so Emma had to reach out for it… and she didn’t know how. She sighed, shifting a little, losing her focus.

“Emma, stay here with me… stay connected. Try this: before you is a door, standing in the darkness. Picture it, picture exactly how it looks. Lay your hand upon it and feel how it feels. Is it wood? Metal? Warm? Cold? Can you smell it? Now, try the doorknob… try to open the door and when you do, imagine my magic behind it.” Regina said softly but with urgency, gripping her hands a little tighter. Emma tried, the image of a door coming to her mind right away; purple and made of wood, adorned with iron in the shape of a rose bush. The door handle was an iron rose, and Emma reached out for it, turning it effortlessly. Beyond it lay black hills in a black world that she was somehow able to distinguish, and encapsulated between the hills lay a purple lake that shone brightly in the black. She took a shuddering breath.

“I’m here. It’s a lake… it’s beautiful… and big…” She whispered, and Regina hummed. 

“Good, now walk through the door, come to the lake. Touch the water and let it run through your fingers. Tell me how it feels.” She instructed, and Emma did as instructed, stepping through the door and finding herself at the lake in a few paces, even though she would have had to cross several hills and mountains to get there. She sank to her knees and took a deep breath before reaching out, feeling Regina shudder as she scooped up some of the water that felt more like warm goo. It clung to her hands, coating it, but didn’t leave any of itself behind as she tilted her hand.

“Warm… soft… It’s making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.” Emma whispered and felt a bead of perspiration travel down the side of her face, even though her body felt miles away. 

“Good, Emma, good. You are doing really well. One more thing and then we’re going to go back. I want you to drink some of the water, just cup it in your hand and drink it.” Regina told her, and Emma did as instructed, once more sliding her hand through water that dented as she tried to move through it before giving way. As the water touched her lips, she felt a shot of energy course through her spine like before, when Regina had cast the spell meant to lock them in, and she let the goo slide into her mouth, swallowing heavily and feeling hotness course through her body, even though it was still far away from her. It settled in the pit of her stomach, and she suddenly felt the pressure at the base of her skull returning, far stronger than before.

“Regina…” She warned, feeling panic rise, but Regina squeezed her hand.

“Don’t be afraid, Emma. You are perfectly safe. We’re going to go back now and we’ll talk about what has just happened. Get up now, sweetheart. Get up and turn around. Find the door and go through it, then close it behind you. Tell me when you’re there.” Regina reassured, and Emma nodded, doing as told, turning her back on the lake and finding herself in front of the door within a few steps. She opened it, then pulled it shut behind her, and as she did, the spikes of energy dimmed, and the pressure in her skull subsided to a level where it mimicked a mild headache. She suddenly realized she was tasting metal again.

“I’m here.” She said and licked her lips—lips that suddenly felt like part of her again instead of miles away.

“Perfect, sweetheart. I want you to become aware of your body again, feel your toes and your knees, feel how you are sitting on the ground in my den. Feel your hands in mine, feel how your chest rises and falls with your breathing. Feel your heart beating in your chest. Feel your hair brush your cheeks. Move a little, flex your muscles. Get back in your body again, and once you are ready, you can open your eyes.” Regina instructed kindly, calmly, and Emma did as told, marvelling at the way she suddenly felt heavy again as she became more and more away of aches and pains she hadn’t even noticed. Her left foot was entirely asleep, and her back was cramped up, but she hadn’t felt it at all when she was stuck in the darkness.

Once she blinked open her eyes, she stared straight into emotional brown. Regina was smiling at her brightly, tears in her eyes and she was beaming with pride and support. Emma flushed a dark crimson and grinned, dipping her head.

“What…?” She asked insecurely, and Regina let go of her hands, allowing Emma to shake out her body a little as she rearranged herself with a groan.

“I’m proud of you. That was a difficult exercise, and you handled it with a skill far beyond what can be expected of someone without training and without a connection to her magic source.” Regina answered, and if possible, Emma brushed even deeper.

“Thanks. All I did was do what you told me to do, though. It was pretty easy.” She said, and Regina smirked. 

“Feel your forehead.” She instructed, and Emma did with a frown, shocked to find her entire face drenched in sweat that extended down her back and chest as well. Now she became aware of it, she could feel how bone tired she was, as if she had just ran a marathon. 

“How…?” She asked and Regina shrugged.

“Magic.” The older woman answered, and Emma laughed, shaking her head. Maybe Regina’s theory had been correct after all, and magic, indeed, burned more calories than sex. It would explain how Regina kept up her figure, because Emma had never seen her work-out at all. “Now, go take a shower and I’ll make us some tea and snacks. We’ll talk afterwards, alright?”

Emma gratefully accepted, rising with difficulty and dragging her pained body up the stairs. She peeled her clothes off of her sticky skin with great difficulty and disposed of them in the laundry basket before taking her second shower of the day, feeling the hot water ground her and take away more of the headache. She could still feel a light buzz in the pit of her stomach, though, and smiled because she knew it was a part of Regina’s magic that was now part of her.

By the time she returned downstairs in a fresh pair of jeans and a soft sweater from her new wardrobe, Regina had set out tea in the dining room, along with some of the snacks Emma had provided. They talked, and Regina explained how Emma had connected with her magic and had literally been _inside of her_ for long moments as she had interacted with what Emma had observed as a lake. When Emma looked at her sceptically, Regina smirked and closed her eyes a moment. A second later, the heat in Emma’s belly intensified and the energy was back in her spine, the swirling pressure in her skull intensifying as the taste of chocolate was drowned out by the taste of metal. Shocked, Emma nearly dropped her mug, and Regina backed off, settling the magic again.

“If this works—if we bond—you won’t have to carry my magic inside of you anymore, you will be able to open the door at will and pull from the lake whenever you need it, whether I’m there or not. For now, this part of me inside of you might help you connect to me more easily.” Regina explained, and Emma nodded, feeling a little overwhelmed, but happy she had succeeded; happy that Regina was proud of her—because that was obvious in the way Regina continued to touch her whenever she got the chance, and she was smiling that emotional smile that Emma loved so much. She felt high as a kite, but at the same time incredibly grounded.

Once Emma felt a little rejuvenated, Regina suggested one more exercise to round off the day, and Emma agreed, allowing Regina to sit her down again on the floor of the den while Regina sat down far across the room. When Regina told her to go to the lake again and then come back, she tried to get herself into the darkness, in front of the door, and while it was hard, she managed. This time, she felt herself soaking through her clothes as she stepped through the door and towards the shoreline. She didn’t drink, just turned back and closed the door behind her before waking herself up. She was shocked to find that almost two hours had passed, but proud of herself for doing it at all—and all on her own, with distance between her and Regina. Regina was too.

They parted, then, Emma to take another shower and then a nap, and Regina to fix up the den and dinner. This time, Emma fell asleep easily, dreaming of darkness, doors, and lakes… and soulful eyes with gold flecks that beamed with pride and love.


	6. Chapter 6

_"I have known little love in my life, beyond that which my sisters have given me. I have had the pleasures of the flesh and found them pleasing but lacking. I have shared the Beltane fires with those who appealed to me, but longed for more. I married a king and watched him die—spitting on his grave once he passed—and vowed never to be tied to a man again in this lifetime. I often wonder now if I would have been fit to bond with anyone, as the hate inside of me—towards the royal houses, towards the Christian church, and towards my own people who have turned their backs on the old pagan ways—now burns too all-consuming in me. Once I am reborn, and I rise with my sisters again, I may find what I have hunted for in my lifetime. Perhaps, if that life is kinder. Perhaps, if I am kinder."_

\-- Morgaine le Fay – ‘Musings of the Veil’

 

Emma awoke to darkness outside the windows. She was shocked to find it was after eight PM, and that she had been out cold for nearly five hours. She hurried into her third set of clothes of the day and downstairs, finding Regina reading in the den, in front of the fireplace. She looked beautiful, and peaceful, and as soon as she spotted Emma, Regina beamed up at her.

“Hey, sorry, I didn’t know I slept that long… you could have woken me up, you know?” Emma apologised quickly, rushing in, but Regina didn’t look mad or annoyed at all.

“It’s quite alright, I saved you some food; let me heat it up for you. How are you feeling?” Regina asked, closing the book and standing, moving into Emma’s space and pushing up on her toes to press a light kiss on Emma’s lips—a light kiss that never the less ignited Emma.

“Mmm… Good… very good…” Emma mumbled, pulling Regina in and kissing her more deeply, sliding her tongue past parting lips and wishing she wasn’t so hungry for actual food; she would have loved to make good on what she had neglected to do yesterday: explore the woman in her arms. Regina grinned once they parted, swatting at her shoulder.

“Pace yourself, my dear… food first, then… well… then I would not be opposed to an early night.” Regina told her darkly, and Emma stood frozen to the spot with arousal as she watched Regina walk off, hoping her food heated quickly. 

Her food turned out to be pasta, and it did heat quickly. Shovelling it into her mouth, Emma cleared her plate in record pace, watched all the while by an amused Regina, who rarely kept her hands off of the blonde, only igniting her further. Emma didn’t know if today’s events had furthered her emotions—her desire—somehow, but she felt so close to Regina—so drawn to her—that she didn’t mind at all that she had barely settled her fork on her plate before she had two arms full of a livewire brunette, who claimed her mouth hungrily. Emma didn’t mind at all that her shirt ended up somewhere on the staircase, nor that her pants ended up on the landing. She had Regina equally undressed before her ass hit the bed, and as she crawled on top of the brunette, she felt like she had never done anything else. 

The magic swirled in her gut as she slipped her lips and tongue over the strong tendons in Regina’s neck, and it jumped as Regina’s nails dragged over her bare back. Regina pressed down onto her thigh, gasping, and Emma felt like she was drunk on causing pleasure in the brunette, high on the way Regina’s hands played over her skin and left shivers in its wake. This time she felt right away how Regina’s magic washed over her, igniting the magic in her gut and causing her to gasp with a pleasure she couldn’t pin-point; it was as if the magic made her nerve ends flare, and she crashed her mouth onto Regina’s hungrily, plunging into the depths below as she surrendered to the frantic need inside of her to explore, to touch, to taste. 

Regina pushed her off, rolling them over before trailing her mouth down her neck, her chest, her breasts. Regina suckled on hard nipples, letting her hands run down until fingers slipped into delicious wetness, and Emma’s mind exploded. Magic flooded her system again, and this time, she could feel something push back, ignited by the spark inside of her gut that she had taken into herself. It came to her like a distant rumbling, like thunder, and again, she tasted metal. As Regina pushed her over the edge of orgasm, however, she didn’t care. She just let it come, rolling over her in waves as Regina brought her to a second peak and held her as she slowly came down.

Their reprieve didn’t last long; Emma’s need to claim was too great, and before long, she slid her tongue through wetness that overwhelmed her with its taste and scent. Emma was throbbing, her head pounding, and energy ran up and down her spine as Regina bucked up against her, moaning and whispering encouragements as she held on to her hair tightly. Feeling Regina come against her mouth was a better high than anything Emma had experienced before and as she crawled up Regina’s sweaty body while she pressed deeply inside of the woman, she observed in wonder as she, too, caused another to become undone a second time.

Afterwards, they lay together, and Emma wondered if she would ever stop shivering and wanting this—this connection, this closeness. Regina held her tightly, playing with her matted hair and dropping kisses onto Emma’s head as it rested on her bare chest. It was perfection, Emma realized, and she didn’t want to move from here.

“I could get used to this…” She mused, and Regina chuckled, pulling her closer.

“Me too, Emma… me too…” She mused, and Emma settled herself even more tightly against the woman below her, loving the way their sweaty skin stuck together and finding herself settled by Regina’s steady heartbeat below her ear. They whispered quietly in the darkness about the experiences of the day until fatigue overtook them. Emma was amazed by how tired she still was, even though she’d had a nap longer than many a night’s rest. Regina didn’t mind as she drifted off, and so Emma allowed the darkness to claim her, and this time she did not dream at all.

By the morning's light, they awoke tangled together, lazing in bed for long moments before showering together. They fell into an easy companionship, joking over coffee that Emma made as Regina put together bacon and eggs for breakfast. They didn’t exactly talk about last night, but it lingered in every touch, in every kiss, and in the way they so very easily moved together. They kept seeking each other out, and by the time Regina told her it was time for the next step in her training, she had to pry Emma off of her, promising that if she managed to get her magic back, she would join Emma in bed in a heartbeat. Emma was appeased by that, and she allowed Regina to take her to the den again, and helped clear the space.

“Now... last night, while we were making love, I thought I felt something stirring inside of you when I reached out to you by magic. I think we’ve been building up your bridge again, and that you _should_ be able to take control of your magic again. I hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly, but… well… I think you are ready.” Regina said, a little regrettably, but smiling proudly, regardless.

“if you say so. I trust you.” Emma answered a tad insecurely, but she meant it; if Regina thought she could do it, she could. She was sure of that. She let Regina coach her into the darkness again, sitting close together, hands touching and knees connecting. Once again, she opened the door to Regina’s lake, but instead of walking through it, Regina instructed her to turn around and imagine a crumbled bridge, leading to Emma’s own magical lake. The vision came to her easily, and when Regina told her to use the water from Regina’s lake to reconstruct the bridge, she was already doing it, pulling the sludge through the door into her own darkness and wrapping it around the stones of the old bridge, watching as blocks from the depth below were pulled up and placed into empty slots. She used the bit of Regina’s magic that was glowing brightly inside of her to call out and control the purple goo, and it responded without fault. 

The bridge fitted together as if it were made of Lego bricks, and while it came together easily, Emma could still feel her body burning and sweating. Once the last block slid into place, Emma sighed in relief, letting the goo flow back to Regina’s lake beyond the door. Regina halted her then, and told her to regurgitate the bit of magic still inside of her stomach. She did, with difficulty, and realized that she was tired—so very tired. When Regina shakily told her to close the door behind her after sending the sip of water back to Regina’s lake, she did, and gratefully slipped from the darkness when Regina encouraged her to.

A soon as Emma’s spirit connected with her body, she collapsed onto the ground, falling backwards and finding herself panting and weak. Once more, she was drenched, and this time, Regina was equally affected. Her hair was matted to her face, and exhaustion belay her features. Emma frowned, worry spiking through her system.

“Are you alright…?” She asked, trying to get up, but finding her body too drained to cooperate.

“I will be, Emma. That took a lot out of me, but you did very well.” Regina told her, and Emma smiled weakly, beaconing Regina closer, and tiredly, Regina did, settling into Emma’s arms on the carpet. Regina was sticky and hot, and Emma knew she would feel the same to the other woman. This magic stuff was hard work, but it came easier to her than she had expected it to; from what Regina had told her, this whole bonding thing was harder for a lot of people, and when Emma voiced her thoughts, Regina laughed.

“Oh darling, we haven’t even tried the bonding; all that we have done is set the stage… but I have been reading up on Morgaine’s theories on the bonding, and I think that we can attempt it tonight, after a long nap and some food. I need to recuperate, and I’m sure you do as well.” Regina told her, and Emma nodded, dropping a kiss onto Regina’s hair.

“I’m sorry for tiring you out.” Emma mumbled, and Regina pressed closer to her. Emma turned her head to glance at the clock on the wall and realized she had been under almost five hours this time. No wonder she was exhausted.

“It’s quite alright, Emma. You did the hard work, it was just my energy that you were using. Tonight, you will be doing that as well, but it should be easier, because I will be joining you in the space where you go; the darkness. Unfortunately, the task ahead will be a lot harder to accomplish as well.” Regina mused.

“We can do it, together.” Emma told her cockily, and Regina lifted her head to kiss her, lingering on her lips.

“We can.” She agreed. “I need to tell you one more thing, however. I have found a very relevant passage in Morgaine’s work, and in it she explains that once we bond… it’s forever. Consider it a… magical marriage of sorts. We will never be able to untangle, and that means that no matter what happens, no matter how far away from each other we go, we will always be aware of each other, we will always be able to tap into each other’s magic. There is a lot we don’t know about the bond, but I _do_ know that if we do this, its forever. This is your last chance to back out and commit to the longer road; you don’t have to be tied to me.”

“I don’t mind. Actually… being magically married to you sounds pretty awesome.” Emma whispered, and knew she meant it. These last few days had been magical, completely unreal, and she had never felt better. If she could stay like this—feel this good, this loved, this powerful—forever, then she would take it. Regina made her feel precious, special, and she trusted her implicitly. The better she got to know the brunette, the more Emma wanted to give herself over to her. Regina connected their lips again and Emma brought her hand up with difficulty, pulling her down more firmly, sighing into a kiss meant to affirm their deal. They were doing this, they were connecting, and it would be forever.


	7. Chapter 7

_"I spoke to an old woman on her death bed. This woman had once been a child of the fey; growing up in the Old Religion, although she had turned to the church in her later years. She had asked for me now to request the Rites of the Goddess before she would pass through the veil. I gave them to her and in return, she told me the story a traveling storyteller had told her when she was still young and healthy. The storyteller spoke of a mage and his beloved, who both possessed the aptitude for magic. They had the ability I have searched for my entire life: the ability to bond. She told me how these sorcerers had come together in the embrace of the God and Goddess while exchanging their power at the epicentre of it. They had become husband and wife in the eyes of the Gods, then, receiving Their blessing, and once the church came with its knights and paladins, they took many with them into death. This was years ago, and I do not know if there is truth in the tale, but it is a clue to research, at least. It is more than I had before."_

\-- Morgaine le Fay – ‘Musings of the Veil’ 

They moved together in the silence of the bedroom, Regina whispering instructions as she kissed down Emma’s neck, and Emma tried to keep centred in the darkness she had once more slipped into as Regina’s fingers pressed between the lips of her sex. She could picture Regina’s spirit form clearly before her, floating transparently in the darkness underlaying reality, eyes drilling into her own. To Emma’s right, her grey stone bridge towards her blue glowing lake lay, and Regina had brought with her an emerald one with spikes and swirls, leading to the lake Emma knew so well, having adopted a representation Emma was familiar with to make it easier on her. The two bridges mirrored each other, and the women met between them, hands locked, although they held onto nothing. 

They were small and insignificant in this landscape, with bridges that towered over them and would take days to traverse if they had been tied to bodies. Now, though, as Regina’s physical body pressed kisses against Emma’s ear and whispered for her to walk the stone bridge towards her lake, Emma’s spiritual body walked it in a split second, looking back to see Regina on the end of hers. 

Emma could still feel her body a little, felt Regina’s hips move against her thigh, felt her fingers press inside of her, and gasped. It didn’t shake her concentration; she was tied to this world of darkness like a second home now. This felt more real than what was happening to her body. She had gotten used easily to the failing rules of nature that existed here, and didn’t even question that she could see Regina clearly over this distance, while in the real world, she would have been unable to spot even a dot. She also didn’t question how Regina’s voice carried easily between them. 

“Walk into the lake, Emma. Let it wash over you. Drown in it, and let it overtake you. Focus on the pleasure in your body… drink form the lake, let the water fill you completely, and allow me to do the same. Open your mind to me, open your heart, and open your body. Give me access to it all.” She encouraged huskily, and Emma turned back to the lake, wading in without a doubt in her mind. She let the energy wash over her, drown her, let it enter her body through her mouth, her nose, her ears, her sex, her ass, and fill her entirely until she was nothing more than energy. It took her long seconds to become aware of a deeper layer than the darkness she had gotten used to but knowing Regina would want her to go there, she descended through the electric blue until it became the colour of lavender in bloom, and she smiled when she found Regina waiting for her here, in a level of their consciousness that they very rarely reached. 

They came together here like they were together in the physical world, mingling and uniting—they were pure energy here and did not suffer the bounds of the body. They just _were_ , existing together and becoming one as their magic swirled around them, crashing and mixing until they were inseparable, until they came together to such an extent that they were fused. 

“I love you.” Regina spoke, although Emma didn’t know in which reality she did—she heard it clearly, though, and she could feel it as well. She could taste it, smell it, see it; it infused her with a love so deep and pure that she knew it couldn’t be physical—this was the love that you were born with, before anyone had damaged you. This was unconditional, unwavering, and completely pure. It existed only here, at this depth, where the soul housed. 

"I love you.” She repeated, and even now, she was unable to explain how she managed to say it at all, and on which level. 

“Forever.” Echoed through her skull, through her entire being, and she swallowed with a body she did not possess. 

“Forever.” She agreed, and a ripple tore through the swirling lavender, freezing it in place for a moment—freezing them—and Emma could hear the echo reflect upwards, shaking the bridges and upsetting the surface of the lake, and further upwards to their physical bodies, which topped into orgasm together, mouths connected, sharing breath, moving roughly together before Regina sagged down on top of her. In the darkness below, the bridges slid together, overlaying each other before solidifying and becoming one—cold, grey, stone embellished by emerald green spikes and swirls—and below that, the lavender softened again and Emma realized there was no difference between her energy and Regina’s. 

They were one. 

Regina didn’t need words to tell her what to do now; they shared a mind and heart here. With hands that did not exist, they held on tightly to each other as they moved upwards, emerging onto the newly formed bridge and smiling before floating further up and leaving the darkness behind. The room was bathed in sunlight when Emma blinked opened her eyes, finding Regina on top of her, shivering and panting, looking more than drained. Emma tried to raise her arm from the mattress to wrap protectively around the brunette, but couldn’t. Her entire body hurt, and she was drenched and parched. Regina groaned weakly, and Emma could do nothing but close her eyes and fall into the oblivion offered by sleep. Whatever they had just accomplished, it had taken every bit of energy Emma had possessed, and now she needed to sleep—she could do nothing else but sleep. 

By the time Emma awoke, it was Thursday—six days after they had entered the house. They had slept for nearly twenty-four hours, awaking together—always together—for a few minutes in which they traded kisses, and eventually found the strength to eat from the food they had set out, and drink from the water. Even after twenty-four hours, Emma could no nothing more than drag herself to the bathroom and then back before passing out. Regina was doing worse; she had been the catalyst for the entire exchange—the active component—and the fever that wreaked their bodes when they were under had extended beyond it for Regina. Neither feared it, though. Every bit of energy Emma could gather, she transferred to Regina with an ease that amused her. All she had to do was think back to the sea of lavender and she found Regina there, ready to accept the gift. 

It took three more days for them to get out of bed for longer periods of time, to make food, to talk, to sit outside in the sun and recover. They had lost a lot of weight, were both as pale as ghosts, and they were both contemplative, tamed. They had gotten close to death, and on that threshold, they had found each other. 

They were no longer two, they were one, and it took at least two more days before they slowly managed to untangle their thoughts and emotions, before they were able to sit together in the darkness of their subconsciousness and built walls to keep the other out. They couldn’t function when they were one; they needed to be two, although they would never be two again like they had been before; they could read each other’s thoughts when they moved beyond the walls, could feel each other’s emotions when they moved beyond the walls, could see through the eyes of the other as easily as they could see through their own. Even Regina was shocked by the level of connectedness the bond allowed them, if they did not consciously keep the other out. They had become different people, mixed, remade, freed of many of their burdens. With the pure acceptance of the other, they had no reason to be insecure; they were all-powerful now. 

They emerged from the house after two weeks, once they finally felt able to face the world and be their own person. Emma had felt her physical strength return and had taken up a fitness regime to keep her mind firmly inside her body. It helped keep up the walls to keep Regina out of her mind and heart. Still, it was ridiculously easy to undo the barrier around the house; she found the spell in Regina’s memories and performed the counter spell with their joined magic. Regina smiled at her and even with the walls up, Emma’s system was flooded by Regina’s pride and love for her. She smiled in return. 

It was odd to be in a car again, odd to see people they knew and loved walking the streets and knowing that for them, life hadn’t changed at all while for the two of them, nothing was the same. Some things didn’t change, though; holding Henry, hugging her mother; these things would always tether Emma. Especially with the walls up between them, it was almost like before. Yet, they had gotten used to communicating without words, to sharing their emotions, and Emma could tell her parents would take a while to get used to the way Regina sometimes subconsciously answered questions asked at Emma—or vice versa—and Henry soon made a game out of the way the two finished each other’s sentences. 

Beyond these little things, very little changed towards the outside world; Emma resumed her duties as Sheriff, and Regina as Mayor. Emma visited friends and family, enjoyed girl’s nights out with Ashley and Ruby—and sometimes Mary Margaret—and Henry soon lost interest in his game. What did change, though, was that Emma moved into the mansion without delay. Being apart had become unbearable, although they were never really apart; their magic kept them connected no matter where they went, and no matter with whom they were. The walls they kept up when others were around fell away when they were together, and they found themselves in bed for hours on end when they could, slipping into the darkness—or even the lavender beyond—whenever they could and drinking from the connectedness between them as if they would starve without it. It was becoming easier, less time-consuming, less tiring, and the more they did it, the more they connected. Oddly enough, the more they connected, the easier it also became to separate themselves whenever they left the shelter of their bedroom. 

Life resumed as it did for any couple, but once they married, it was only for the outside world; they knew that they had been married since that night years ago, when they had moved together for hours on end as they had bonded for eternity. There were no secrets between them, no fights; with their walls up, it was possible to misinterpret the other, but it took only seconds of bonding—standing close together, hands clasped, foreheads touching—for the argument to be resolved. In the years after the bonding, Emma read Morgaine’s books often, and found herself hoping that in her next life, the sorceress had indeed found the bond. Morgaine’s understanding of it had been sorely lacking—she had not been aware of so many of the things Emma could now share effortlessly with her wife—but she had understood the most important part: that a life was not complete without it. 


End file.
